what made you choose the band?

What helped you to decide to get the band over the sleeve or the bypass?  

Just curious as to your thought process in making this life changing decision.  I have wanted the band from the beginning of my investigatory journey and then approval process, but now that I am getting closer to my procedure (approved but not scheduled yet) I am beginning to question myself.  I have high blood pressure but no other co morbids and feel the other surgeries might be more of a sledgehammer than I really need.... I am very scared of the other surgeries but just need all of you as a sounding board as my "declaration time" comes closer. 
Many thanks~
Michele

You will probably get some people answering you who have very different perspectives to mine! So I emphasise that these are my reasons and (after 5 years) they still hold true for me.

I had no serious co-morbidities and so did not mind slower loss.
I did not want to malabsorb foods
I was prepared to take some supplements (vits/calcium) but did not want to have to take massive daily amounts
I did not want bits of me removed or re-routed

I was fully prepared to lose more slowly, to have to take more control of my eating. Your analogy of a sledgehammer appeals to me. I didn't want a sledgehammer, just a small tool to help nudge me in the right direction rather than bludgeon my body into submission!

Other wls are right for others. The band was right for me.

Kate

Very well put, Kate.

As an ovarian cancer survivor, my oncologists would only let me opt for band surgery because they were concerned with the rearranging of organs and the malobsortion problems with the other surgeries. Plus the high amount of vitamins I would have to take could interfere with some of my other medications.

Have you discussed your decision with your PCP? My decision included my oncologists & my PCP deciding what was best and I deferred to them in helping me chose what was best!

As with any major surgery, research all your facts & options before you decide on such a life altering decision!Good luck in your decision!

I had no choice my surgeon would only do the band because of a clotting disorder. Personally I'd rather have had a sleeve, much better surgery!

 Thanks for your replies Kate and PameW.  

Kate~ it sounds like we think a lot alike:)  I just fear so much being a failure at this.  I read some of the posts on here and I just don't want to be the person that the band does not work for (I so feel for those that have that happen).  I don't see that experience much on the other sites although I am sure they exist.  I hope I am as successful with my loss as you have been with yours.  (that sounded weird but hopefully you know what I mean)

PameW~I have discussed this with all of my PCM and she is supportive of any of the surgeries.  When I first brought it up I only discussed only the band in detail with her because that was what my interest was in.  Perhaps I should have discussed the other surgical possibilities.  It sounds like your surgical decision was made for you and that you are doing fabulously with it.  Congrats!

Thanks again:)

My reasoning was exactly the same as Kate's. Michele, in the short amount of time that I have been banded, I have learned many things. The most important is that this journey is not in my stomach. It is in my head. I hold the power, I make the choices and the band is there to help me along the way. If your head is ready, you will succeed in any WLS surgery you choose!! Best of luck to you!!

When I found out about the band I didn't even consider any other surgery. I felt Lap Band was the right surgery for me, and it was.  I guess you have to go with your gut feelings (no pun intended).

I was originally scheduled to get the lap band... had a surgery date set and everything, but I canceled it today as I'm going to go with the VSG instead.

It's a very personal decision and only you know what's right for you, I'm not here to bash the band or anyone that has one... I am not banded and have no experience to speak from.  I can, however, share my experience as someone who originally had their heart set on a band and wound up changing my mind. 

For me, I was increasingly concerned by the number of posts on here from people for whom the band didn't work out.  I saw a lot of people mentioning that they wanted or had had a revision to the VSG, so I looked around the Revision and VSG forums to get a holistic view of what those experiences looked like in comparison to what I've seen on this board and it seemed that I saw a lot more posts from people happy with the VSG than I did from those who were happy with the band.  Of course every surgery has its own set of risks, complications and success/failure rates, but the more I thought about those things comparitively, the more comfortable I was with the VSG over the band.

I still poke around here and check in on all three boards (I have no interest in the bypass or DS) because we're all in the same boat when it comes to behavior modification, adjusting to a new relationship with food, needing workout playlist recommendations, gym motivation, etc. so I want to be able to chime in anywhere that I feel I can add value.  Hopefully this post has been helpful, even if it's not about why I chose the band ;-).

 I have to admit up front that when I got the band, I didn't even know about the sleeve.  I had two choices (with my surgeon of choice), RnY, which would be covered by insurance, or the lap band, which I would have to self-pay to get.  I opted for the band.  I am not comfortable with malapsorption.  But, if I knew then what I know now, I'd consider the sleeve.  There are some advantages with the sleeve (fewer long-term complications, which are especially important for self-payers to consider).  But, there are also advantages with the band, in that we have adjustable restriction, and our stomach remains intact (who knows what obesity treatments are in the future).  

Tami